Here’s an idea. Someone in your life has always expressed a desire to become a doula. She can’t afford it, so it hasn’t happened yet. How about buying a gift voucher towards her dream? We can make up gift vouchers to be exchanged in full or for part of a course at any time in the next 2 years. Contact the office on 0121 422 2819 or info@nurturingbirth.co.uk for more information.
Blog
New NICE guidelines on birth
Nurturing Birth are delighted to see the revised NICE guidelines about Intrapartum care.
Particular changes in the guidelines have been made around women choosing place of birth, recognising that home is particularly suitable for low-risk multips (women who have given birth before) – that the rate of intervention is lower and outcome for the baby no different compared to an obstetric unit. Nurturing Birth recognizes that the new guidelines are in direct response to the research evidence in the 2011 Birthplace Cohort Study of over 64,000 fit and healthy women in the UK, birthing at home or in obstetric units. For first babies there was a slightly higher risk when born at home 9.3/1,000 compared to 5.3/1,000.
Commissioners and Providers have been told to ensure that all settings are made available for women to choose from, including home birth. Providers, senior staff and all healthcare professionals should ensure that in all birth settings there is a culture of respect for each woman as an individual undergoing a significant and emotionally intense life experience, so that the woman is in control, is listened to and is cared for with compassion, and that appropriate informed consent is sought. Senior staff should demonstrate, through their own words and behaviour, appropriate ways of relating to and talking about women and their birth companion(s), and of talking about birth and the choices to be made when giving birth.
There is a change in the recommendations so that fetal monitoring not be carried out on low-risk women in suspected or established labour as part of the initial assessment, and that any decision made about the woman’s care in labour should not be done on the monitor findings alone.
And, new recommendations that if a woman requests delayed cord clamping (over five minutes) that her choice should be supported.
For the full guidelines visit http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG190
Beautiful images of birth on our website and Facebook
We are delighted to be working with Jane McCrae, a birth photographer based in Sydney, Australia. In the hunt for images for our new website we looked at a lot of photographs and we felt that Jane captures both the beauty of birth, but also how doulas can support women during birth – with a hand on the shoulder, a flannel on the forehead, a calm presence and with soothing words. Her images have an incredible sense of calm, serenity and peace about them. We encourage anyone with an interest in pregnancy and birth to check our her website.
And, we offer Jane our congratulations on the recent birth of her daughter, the story of which is beautifully written on her website.
Research into the value of Doulas
Nurturing Birth is delighted to have undertaken some research in to the value of doulas in the UK in 2013.
This has been published in MIDIRS, the midwifery journal, in June 2014, and it was taken to the International Conference of Midwives in Prague.
To read the full research article click here.
